


Mistake

by bunnysworld



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-14
Updated: 2014-11-14
Packaged: 2018-02-25 08:02:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2614355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunnysworld/pseuds/bunnysworld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin made a mistake. But was it so bad after all?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to issy for the beta!
> 
> This was written for Camelot_Drabble's prompt 'Mistake'.

It had been a mistake, a mistake of enormous proportions. What had started as a normal party had ended in a childish game of spin the bottle in which Merlin had been foolish enough to admit that he hadn’t had sex in ages. 

His friends had stared at him like he was the monster from the swamp or something with Gwaine immediately offering to remedy his misery, Percy making plans of setting him up with one of his rugby friends, Leon assuring him that it wasn’t abnormal for a bloke in his twenties to not have sex every day and Elyan inquiring if he didn’t even wank?

All the giggly tipsiness had fled and Merlin just felt awkward. This was something he probably shouldn’t have told anyone. So what if he didn’t get any since Will had left? So what if that had been two years ago? He got up and went to the kitchen, muttering about getting another beer.

He sighed when he felt that someone else entering the room as he stood by the fridge and examined the contents. 

“Hey.”

“Hi.” Couldn’t this Arthur bloke just go away? It wasn’t like they really knew each other, he was one of Gwaine’s footie friends. Whatever good advice he had to offer, Merlin didn’t care. 

“While you’re at it, hand me a beer?”

Merlin took two bottles out and handed one to the other man. “Okay, spill.”

“What do you mean?” Arthur opened the bottle and took a long drag. 

“I made a mistake to reveal such a personal information in that stupid game. Everyone has something to say. So, get it out and get over with it, so we can all go back to our lives.” Merlin opened his bottle, too, but didn’t drink.

Leaning against the counter, Arthur didn’t say anything for a long while. “You know…”

Raising an eyebrow, Merlin shook his head. “No, I don’t, so just say it. Whatever you have to offer, I don’t want it, but say it anyway if it makes at least you feel better.”

“Nothing to offer. Just…you know, I think I like that.”

“Huh?” 

Arthur looked at his beer bottle. “You know, it’s like all that counts for us is sex. How often we do it, who we do it with, it’s like a sport, it’s like…the person doesn’t even count. But you…Gwaine said you are over your ex now, have been for a while. I like that you take your time finding someone new.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Merlin frowned.

“You’re different. Everyone else puts the sex first. If that is good, they consider meeting the person again. You’re more interested in the person, you want to date first, get to know them. If you don’t like what you see, you don’t even consider getting it on with them.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” Merlin crossed his arms in front of his chest. 

“Nothing at all.” Arthur smiled.

“Then why does everybody make me feel like I’m an anomaly?”

“I don’t know about them. I won’t treat you like that, I like that you do what you do. Even if it means not doing it.” Arthur took another drag from his bottle. 

“Something makes me hold saying ‘thank you’ back…”

Arthur chuckled. “Listen, I mean what I say. I like that you do it that way. I’m not going to offer to ‘remedy your condition’ or anything. Just…”

Merlin’s eyebrow shot up again.

“I got tickets for this new show on Tuesday. If you don’t have any other plans, I thought, maybe you’d like to go?”

“With you?”

“Yeah, well, it’s two tickets, so…,” Arthur shrugged.

“And then?”

“Do you want to know what I thought since you came in? Okay. Here it goes. You walked into the place and I thought I need to get to know him, he’s gorgeous. And the longer the evening went on, the more I liked what you said or did. I was just looking for a chance to ask you out. Long before this unfortunate game happened.”

“And then the game happened and you still want to go out with me?”

“As I said, I like how you go about things. You don’t have sex just to have sex, you want it to mean something. That’s great.”

Merlin worried his lower lip with his teeth. “You’re aware of the fact that I won’t end up between the sheets with you after the show, aren’t you?”

“Fine by me. How about dinner before the show? It’s difficult to talk in a theatre.”

Slowly, Merlin nodded. “Okay.”

Arthur smiled widely. “Great! And now we’ll go back out there and help the others make plans how to end your celebate phase.” He winked and Merlin laughed.

 

+++

Dinner went great, they talked and laughed a lot. The show was crappy and they left during intermission only to end up in Merlin’s place. Their friends didn’t have to ask if Merlin finally got any when they met again the next weekend. The smug grin on Merlin’s face and the way Arthur possessively had an arm around his shoulder spoke for themselves.


End file.
